Haven
by jacuzzin
Summary: I was the school bully, and though he had no reason to, I wanted Alex to trust me.


**Just an idea that came to me. This is actually the first fic I've written in a long time, and I hope it's not too cheesy...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

I was the school bully, and though he had no reason to, I wanted Alex to trust me.

* * *

I'm sure not many would say that school was their haven, but it was for me. Here my mere presence inspired fear and people moved closer to their lockers so that a path cleared for me in every hallway. I was in control here. No one questioned me.

I sat down in my first class and two minutes before the bell rang, a familiar blond boy walked through the door. Immediately, everyone's eyes turned to face him and the whispers began. He kept his eyes forward and didn't make contact with anyone. If not for the slight smile he gave to the Harris kid, his face was otherwise blank.

So Rider was back, was he? I personally didn't like him, and neither did most of Brookland to tell the truth. The kid was weird. He had been the star footballer and an A student. After the death of his uncle, he had started missing classes weeks at a time, only to come back for maybe a few days, then he would vanish again.

Rider kept his head down, ignoring the murmurs around him. That was another thing about him – he was so different from everyone else. I noticed it the first time he came back. He had gone from being popular to quiet and withdrawn. When he saw me in the hall, he didn't quake. He would look at me with nothing, _nothing_, in his eyes. And I would look like an idiot. I hated him for bothering the stability that was my domain. I had nothing to fear here, and I sure in hell wasn't going to let him ruin that.

We had a PE class together, and I lingered behind. His movements were slower than usual, and in the absence of the others, his face was finally showing emotion, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. After the locker room had cleared out, the grip on his locker was suddenly tight. His eyes were shut in agony; I knew that face well.

His other hand moved to touch his side and the slight crease in his forehead was familiar to me. How often had I spent my nights in front of my bathroom mirror with the same pain and simultaneous dullness filling me? Rider must not have known I was here, a mistake I knew he didn't make often, because the openness that he was showing was achingly heartbreaking.

"Ri – Alex, are you all right?" I asked, and I grimaced. My voice sounded harsh, even in the midst of my rare concern.

His eyes snapped open and he immediately stood up straighter, and I imagined hearing his quickening heartbeat. I had given him every reason to fear me, but right now, I wanted him to trust me. Fat chance. "Halloway, why aren't you in the gym yet?" he asked, voice hard. His eyes watched me critically. I'm sure he never let anyone witness what I had just seen, and I'm sure he would deny everything.

I didn't answer him, and he turned away, slipping off his golf shirt for the gym shirt in an attempt at normalcy. He had on a wifebeater, but by his tense shoulders, he knew that I could see the scars exposed on his arms, bruises on his shoulders, many fresh.

"Alex, you don't have to hide it."

He watched me warily and it was a look that came from being trodden on too many times. "I don't know what you mean," he said firmly, and it was so rehearsed I wonder now how I hadn't seen through it before.

Maybe he wouldn't notice the constriction of my throat, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. "My parents – they're not exactly saints," I admitted finally, "but they're not bad people. I don't know your situation, but I understand what you're going through."

His face seemed to be battling emotions. Finally, after a long minute, he nodded. "Thank you," he said softly.

And then I gestured for him to come with me to the gym. His face hardened again; he would have to face the jeers and childish whispers of the class. But he had been gone for so long that I wondered if he remembered the power I had over the mass of children waiting for us in the gym. I wanted to create for him the same haven that welcomed me at school. "Come on," I said, "I won't let them bother you."

* * *

**So, how was it?**


End file.
